Around us for 08-24-12

The Herald

Published 3:30 pm, Thursday, August 23, 2012

LUBBOCK — What began as a proposed property tax increase to expand the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office and raise prosecutors’ pay turned into a political melee after Lubbock County Judge Tom Head’s remarks that the county must be prepared to deal with a civil uprising if President Barack Obama is re-elected.

Lubbock’s County Commissioners’ Court recently proposed a property tax increase of 1.7 percent from the current rate, on which the court will vote Sept. 10.

Head and County Commissioner Mark Heinrich appeared Tuesday night on a local television news broadcast to promote the tax increase, when the judge expressed concerns civil unrest of the worst proportions would break out if Obama wins a second term.

“He’s going to try to hand over the sovereignty of the United States to the U.N., and what is going to happen when that happens?” Head asked.

“I’m thinking the worst. Civil unrest, civil disobedience, civil war maybe. And we’re not just talking a few riots here and demonstrations, we’re talking Lexington, Concord, take up arms and get rid of the guy.

During Wednesday morning’s public hearing for the proposed tax hike at commissioners court, Head’s remarks were brought up by Sue Barrick, a research proposal editor at Texas Tech, when she asked what portion of the revenue from the tax increase would be used to “fund the eventuality of a civil war.”

Head said the comments he made during the interview were taken out of context and said his role as emergency management director requires him to be prepared for the “worst-case scenario.” — Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

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AMARILLO — An inmate who died in custody Aug. 15 at the Potter County Detention Center most likely died of tuberculosis, county officials said Wednesday.

Officials withheld the name of the deceased 30-year-old man to notify next of kin, Potter County Sheriff Brian Thomas said. The man was booked into detention May 31.

County detainees are given a skin test for tuberculosis as standard procedure during the intake process, Thomas said. The inmate in question tested negative, Smalligan said.

“Based on preliminary findings, we believe that this patient had a unique type of infection due to an underlying medical condition that caused his infection to worsen over time,” Smalligan said.

Autopsy results show the inmate had been suffering from milial tuberculosis, an unusual manifestation of the disease, Smalligan said.

In February, the Texas Department of State Health Services gave an extra $17,145 to the Amarillo Department of Public Health to treat and monitor the rising number of tuberculosis infections in Potter and Randall counties. The two counties had 250 latent infections and nine active infections in 2011, health officials said. — Amarillo Globe-News

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AMARILLO —A 9-year-old boy slept through a 50-minute ride in a stolen SUV Wednesday after police said a man took the still-running vehicle from an Amarillo parking lot.

Amarillo police are searching for the man who they said stole a 2005 Subaru Outback from a parking lot in the 2600 block of Wolflin Avenue about 4:30 p.m. The boy was unharmed, officers said.

The SUV’s driver called police and chased after the vehicle after it left the parking lot and turned north on Georgia Street and then east on Interstate 40, police spokesman Sgt. Brent Barbee said. The driver had parked and left the vehicle running to go into a store, Barbee said. The driver thought the SUV was locked with a key-chain remote, Barbee said.

The child was unharmed and sleeping in the back seat when police arrived, Barbee said. Officers took the boy to the police department, where he was released to his parents, Barbee said.

Police described the suspect as a white male between 20 and 30 years old. — Amarillo Globe-News

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LEVELLAND — The challenger in May’s Republican primary election for Hockley County sheriff wants a court review of the runoff process to see if state law was followed.

An attorney for R.C. Cheek filed suit last Friday in the 286th District Court questioning a decision by Pat Cowan, the county’s Republican chairperson, to close five polling places, including locations in Smyer and Whitharrel. Cheek is a Smyer resident.

The suit also seeks a review of the ballot recounting procedures.

When the votes in the Republican runoff between Cheek and appointed incumbent Paul Scarborough were counted, Cheek won by a 1,182-1,180 margin. However, in the recount, Cheek lost two votes and Scarborough gained one, giving him the nod by a count of 1,181-1,180.

Cheek’s attorney, James Palomo, said the suit is intended to look at several small issues that appear inconsistent. — Lubbock Avalanche-Journal